Bus Living, Truck Living, Boat Living. You name it, if you live in a home that is capable of moving by itself, or have the desire to, then this is the place for you.
Hello All. I spent the last couple of days working on the allignment and tracking of the slide out and building the rest of the basic framework. The thing now glides in and out slicker than grease through a goose I salvaged the original skins from the piece I hacked out of the bus and will begin fitting them to the slide out tomorrow. Jack
I will install 3 more verticle posts (one in each wall) before I add the sheet metal skin. I laid a piece of 1/2 " plywood on the extended slide out and climbed out on it------------worked fine!
I added a pair of rollers near the top of the slide out to force the box to track a straight line. Because these rollers interrupt the slide out seal to some extent I thought it best to position them as close to the roof overhang as possible thereby reducing the amount of water they see. We'll see.
Hello All. I haven't been able to spend much time on the bus this week. I did, however, manage to install the sheet metal roof and sides on the pop out. Since these parts are not structural I decided to use double stick tape to hold the panels in place. I may use one or two pop rivits in unexposed areas as back up. My goal was not to have any unnecessary holes for water to get through. The outside skin will be welded to the pop out frame as it becomes the basis for the exterior compression seal. I'll next work on the center post that will frame out the two "windows". Jack
The original bus panels have been cut and fit to the pop out ready to weld. Strips of 1/8 " thick flat strap (of various widths) will be plug welded to the skin and pop out frame and will extend over the gaps and over the bus body with a compression seal between the strap and the bus body when the pop out is retracted. A similar seal will seal to the inside of the bus when the pop out is extended.
Hello All. I'm still working on the pop out. I realized that I'd better deal wirh the hole in the side of the bus before I welded on the sealing surfaces or I'd be making a lot of unpleasant work for myself. I resized the hole to accept a combination hand fill and city water fill box I took out of a S&S a while back and completed the body work along the bottom edge of the pop out opening. I'd love to have used a brass marine water fill but this plastic thing was free and will work just fine. Jack
Water filler thingy installed in existing hole in the side of the bus. Since the filler is just below the pop out it should be well protected.
Hello All. I was given a catalog today from a weather seal mfg co (Restorationspecialties.com) and can hardly wait io begin looking at it. I'll eventually go on line to order but being old skool I love to look at catalogs. I've been working on the 1/8" thick seal strips I mentioned the other day. I got the two outer uprights welded in and the bottom piece clamped and ready to weld tomorrow. I can't believe how much time it takes to finish such a simple task . Once the outside is done I'll start on the inside seal . I'm not really complaining as I am doing just exactly what I want to do! Jack
Bottom strap in place for plug welding.
I ground back the edge of each joint about 30 degres to be sure I had enough weld to hold things together after I flush grind the welds. I'll be able to weld both the inside and the outside of the joint so it should be plenty strong.
Hello All. Bet your getting tired of looking at the Air Force blue paint on my bus---I know I am---when will it be done so I can get some pretty paint on it? The blue color came about when the bus was used in a made for TV movie about the WWII Japanese relocation camp "Topaz" near Salt Lake City Utah back in 1987. I'm still trying to get a copy of it. Oh yea, the blue---The Air Force ran that camp.
I finished up the inside and outside seal strips today and am happy with both fit and function. Next I'll install a plywood floor and some insulation. Once that is done I'll skin the inside and deal with the windows. Jack
Pop out extended.
Pop out in.
Sorry about the dark pic but this is what the pop out looks like extended from the inside.
Hey Jim. Yes the slide out is for the bed. I wish I had the computer savvy to post a floor plan--but I don't. Once extended you stick your feet out the side of the bus and your head rests along the central walkway. The bed is queen size less 2" in width. Other than a pair of bunks I was unable to figure out how else to get the bed, toilet/sink/shower combo, dinette, stove, frig, sink, heater/AC and two car garage into the 10' X 7' 6" space I have to work with This layout allows a 16" walkway between the bed and the 22" deep counter. The over all width of the slide out is 71" which is as wide as I could could go without getting into a couple of very structural uprights. The depth (slide) is 32" and the height is 30" hence the feet over the side. Jack
Hey Dick, thanks. Now that I'm able to pull large blocks of time to work things seem to progress at a fair rate. To answer your question, yes, with the slide in, the walkway remains 16" wide and the box is about waste high plus a little. At the rear where the bath will be there is a zig zag around the box to get into the bathroom but the 16" remains constant and I think that should be enough as neither wifey nor I are very big around. Jack
Hello Jack. In general, I'm not a fan of slide outs, but I can see why you need one. If all slide out builders had your standards of craftsmanship, I might not have so much trouble with them. All the ones with which I am familiar sag and/or leak, and their power movement mechanisms are troublesome. Thanks for explaining yours. It looks great. Will it have powered motion?
Hey Jim. I couldn't resist using a motor on the slide out. I bought an unused slide drive on ebay for $75 delivered. It is a rack and pinion affair with a 18 to 1 drive ratio.The track is 1/4" plate formed into a channel with wings along the side--very rigid. The drive mechanism is supported by 8 rollers 4 on top and 4 on the bottom which controls the leverage generated as the box slides out. Since the whole slide out is mounted on roller bearings there is almost no moving resistance for the motor to overcome so I am hopefull that the drive mechanism will be long lived. I did, however, provide an easy access plate which will allow me to disconnect the drive should it fail. The slide could then just be pushed in and out. As to weather seals I think I have come up with something that will work--we'll see! Jack
Hello All. It wasn't as hot today as it has been for the last week (90 degrees, high humidity arg) so working on the bus was more of a treat. I completed the floor and insulation for the slide out and test fit the steel "window" panes in their sash.
I looked around Lowe's and Home despot in particular at their dual glaze sliding windows. I'd like to use dual pane tempered glass for the side windows and having the glass fit to my existing frames looks like it will be very costly--about 3X the cost of special ordered residential windows. Most of the new residential windows seem to have plastic frames which I am not too crazy about but they look good and don't look too hard to make work. Any thoughts on this? Jack
Slide out floor and insulation. I have not yet built the stationary portion of the bed frame.
Jim, here is a close up pic of the slide out drive.
Hello All. I finished up the insulation on the slide out and installed the interior panels. I built a "jack" to help support the ceiling while the mastic cured and I placed self taping screws to hold it in place. Eventually I will paint the exterior top and side surfaces with glossy white enamel and upholster the inside with a thin carpet material. The front surface will be painted to match the side of the bus. Jack
"jack" to support the ceiling. The legs are on a pivot so I could adjust the lift and pressure.
"jack" in place.
Completed interior walls.
At the last minute I decided to insulate under the slide out and used foil backed foam.
I salvaged the original skins from the piece I hacked out of the bus and will begin fitting them to the slide out tomorrow. Jack
